Tom Brady #12 and Rob Gronkowski #87 of the New England Patriots celebrate after scoring a touchdown during the NFL game against the New York Jets in Foxboro, Massachusetts, U.S., October 25, 2015. /VCG
Hall of Fame shoo-in Rob Gronkowski has made a stunning return from retirement to be reunited with his former New England Patriots teammate Tom Brady at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, reports said on Tuesday.
Gronkowski quit the NFL after playing a pivotal role in helping Brady and the Patriots win a record-equaling sixth Super Bowl title against the Los Angeles Rams last year.
The 30-year-old has often been linked to a return to the sport in the past year and had consistently refused to rule out ending his retirement for one last crack at the NFL.
Brady's departure from the Patriots to Tampa Bay has apparently persuaded the giant tight end to cut short his retirement.
Gronkowski still had one year left on his Patriots contract. New England has agreed to trade Gronkowski for a fourth-round pick in the 2020 draft.
Rob Gronkowski #87 of the New England Patriots reaches to steal a jersey from teammate Tom Brady (L), who tossed out the first pitch during the Major League Baseball's Opening Day at Fenway Park in Boston, U.S., April 3, 2017. /VCG
Gronkowski's agent Drew Rosenhaus confirmed the deal to ESPN on Tuesday.
"Pending the physical, Rob has agreed to play for Tampa this season," Rosenhaus said. "He will honor his current contract at this time."
In nine seasons in the NFL, Gronkowski established himself as one of the greatest tight ends of all time, catching 521 passes for 7,861 yards and 79 touchdowns.
He topped 1,000 receiving yards in 2011, 2014, 2015 and 2017 and made four Pro Bowls while establishing himself as one of Brady's most trustworthy targets.
The Patriots badly missed Gronkowski's presence last season, with an unconvincing offense exiting in the team's wild-card defeat to Tennessee.
New England Patriots' quarterback Tom Brady (L) fist bumps Rob Gronkowski (C) before their game with the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII in Atlanta, U.S., February 3, 2019. /VCG
In Tampa, Tom Brady was recently seen working out in a closed park and later asked to leave by the patrol staff following the state of Florida's stay-at-home order.
Tampa mayor Jane Castor revealed the story on Monday.
"I got to tell you this story. Now, I always tell people, I'm not one to gossip so you didn't hear this from me," Castor said during a Facebook Live appearance with her fellow mayor, Rick Kriseman of the American city of St Petersburg in Florida.
"Our parks are closed down, so a lot of our parks staff they patrol around just to make sure that people aren't doing contact sports and things like that, and saw an individual working out in one of our downtown parks. And she went over to tell him that it was closed and it was Tom Brady."
"Sorry @TomBrady! Our @tampaparksrec team can't wait to welcome you and our entire community back with even bigger smiles – until then, stay safe and stay home as much as you can to help flatten the curve," The City of Tampa messaged Brady on Twitter on Monday.
(With input from AFP)